Those Who Hold Us Dearly
by Thorongil82
Summary: After defeating Shen and his army of wolves, freeing China from the desolate rule of oppression that would have covered the lands, the Dragon Warrior and a dear friend must find a way to deal with the wounds that they have been dealt, both physically and mentally. On their own, they may not have had the strength of heart to move on. Together, they may have a chance.
1. Stirring the Desires of Our Hearts

**AN: For those of you who aren't familiar with me, my name is Thorongil82. I am the leader of a writing group that operates mainly on here that is called the GMAD. I don't want to go into too much info right now, so if you want more information or wish to join, feel free to let me know.**

 **This was pretty much something I wanted to write after seeing the second film and going through the TV series, not to mention after reading some great stories on here. I do like the idea for having Po and Tigress paired together, so I thought I'd take my own shot at it. Not that I'm used to writing a thorough build up into a romantic relationship (regardless of all of my stories having one ...), but that's beside the case.**

 **Anyway, set shortly after KFP 2, haven't seen KFP 3 yet (it comes out tomorrow in Australia at the time of this chapter's publication), slow sort of build up and kinda like a short story. I'm used to writing roughly 8000+ word chapters. There are going to be a few chapters, four or five at the most. Please enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Stirring the Desires of Our Hearts**

The battle that nearly escalated into a war ended any chance for further altercations to spiral China into disaster, to the immense gratitude of all across the land. The masters of the Jade Palace alongside with Masters Croc and Storming Ox had defeated Lord Shen, due mainly in part to the Dragon Warrior finally finding inner peace. Though Gongmen City had been wrested from the wings of Shen in the wake of his demise, ironically from his own cataclysmic weapon, the wounds that such a titanic struggle inflicted upon all still left grief and devastation in their wake. The loss of many victims, in particular the legendary Master Thundering Rhino, scarred the hearts and minds of many. Loved ones mourned the deaths of their kin, while the masters of kung fu took in the damage wrought by Shen. Not only that done to Master Thundering Rhino, but to all of kung fu that they had yet to understand.

Still, their duty was to the people and, pushing past their grief, they set about to helping the vast reparations being undertaken. At the suggestion of Po, in his kind heart, they transformed the annihilated temple into a memorial, a place to rest the dead and the sorrows of those still living. Such an undertaking would take many resources and a great deal of time, but time they seemed to have aplenty as the whole country of China appeared stunned by the knowledge of what could have been. Stone bricks torn asunder were repaved, the names of the fallen from both sides lying inscribed upon each slab. To accommodate the vast figure of names, more were dug up in to be replaced by inscribed bricks. No one complained about the extra work this entailed, for it remained in all their minds a noble task that deserved to be undertaken. Master Thundering Rhino's chipped hammer had not been touched, remaining instead impaled into the ground in the same place that the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior saw it upon their capture. A large slab with his name chiselled on it would be placed in front at the behest of his two pupils, Masters Croc and Storming Ox, the only thing that they deemed remotely necessary for him to be remembered by.

The temple, the Tower of the Sacred Flame, was also being reconstructed, though only to two stories due to the lack of resources and able bodies. Here, artefacts from the conflict would remain, a reminder of the past and of what madness could bring to the world. On a tapestry covering the furthest half of the temple, the names of the fallen would again be written. The golden peacock throne was somehow recovered and was to be placed on the second floor, a testament to Shen's parents and the sorrow that they went through; the sorrow that killed them. In the floor before the throne, not from popular demand but from the masters' acceptance of the peacock lord's actions, Shen's name was left along with a small word:

 _Here lies the memory of Lord Shen, both in his youth and in his demise. Let his tale serve as a deterrent towards the madness of others that seek absolute power. May he now rest in the peace he could not find on this earth._

* * *

The reconstruction of the temple and its courtyard was nearly finished. Everyone who had partaken was weary with the effort they had exerted, but still they pushed on with the fiery determination in their heart to do the right thing. Master Shifu, with Masters Croc and Storming Ox, sat in lotus position at the base of the temple. From here, they both watched over the final touches being applied and directed the workers while meditated, Shifu helping the recovering masters through their anguish that lingered in the fortnight that had passed. Crane, despite the bandages covering his right wing, took it upon himself to carry up any resources or tools that the builders up high required. Viper helped along by slithering through the narrow nooks and crannies that no one apart from Mantis could fit through, fixing anything that was needed in those tough to reach areas. The afore mentioned praying mantis took it upon himself to heal the pressure wounds and stress that the builders collected during their strenuous task, relieving their aches and strengthening their joints due to his expertise in nerve points. Master Tigress, with her powerful arms, cut through the materials with precision, pinpointing the exact lengths required to be used.

Lastly, Po was mainly just helping around carrying around equipment, pushing up walls and pallets upright and occasionally making food for those who were hungry as he was told not to stress himself too much. Still quite heavily bandaged, the panda bore still wounds that had trouble healing from his conquest against Shen. As he had not healed completely from the cannon shot that was barely contained by the iron wok, those nagging injuries carried through to when he rescued the Furious Five and took a fair blast from another cannon, this time being saved by the hardcore Tigress who flung Po out of the way and took most of the hit. Though the others bore wounds, most minor but a few major, especially Tigress, they could not be held down to rest and wait. Everyone knew better than to force Tigress to take a break, her fierce yellow eyes striking fear into all. Still, for all the physical damage they had received, Po had the most grievous dealt upon him. As such, for no one wanted to see the hero fall after all that had been said and done, and the battle won, he was ordered by Shifu to stay away from strenuous work and recover, with the masters keeping watch over him. Though concerned that he still moved around all day, they all realised that he would've still tried to come out and contribute to the reparations even if they had locked him inside an 'unbreakable' warrior case. Nevertheless, they all kept an eye out in case he suddenly broke down and, with everyone else around in the area, having extra eyes wasn't going to hurt in the slightest.

Around the middle of the day, with the sun at its highest, the majority of workers at the temple took to having lunch, with a handful laying out some of the last bricks to go into place, making sure that they hadn't missed anything. On the steps leading up sat Po, a bowl of delectable bean rolls beside him, looking at the city before him. His mind wandered to their desperate adventure through Gongmen City, trying their hardest to prevail against the darkness Lord Shen was attempting to shroud China in. He smiled gently as he recalled the stealth mission through the hustle and bustle, hiding in a dragon costume and chasing down the wolf who had socked his jaw with a hammer just a few days prior. A firm expression crossed his face as he called to mind their capture and escape, their first encounter with the white peacock with feathered eyes of eerie red. He cringed at the harsh but just treatment he received from Tigress back in the jail, while the first cannon shot to hit him racked his whole body. Ribs groaned as his heart beat faster and harder, his large hands instinctively touched his chest, covered with bandages that reached his waist and wrapped around his shoulders.

"Are you okay, Po?" a familiar voice said beside Po. The Dragon Warrior turned with a painful twinge in his eyes to see the playful Monkey standing next to him, a bowl of bean buns in hand. The primate sat down beside his friend as they looked at one another.

"Oh … uh, yes. I'm fine, Monkey," Po replied, rubbing his chest. "Just … thinking about what we just went through. The body still remembers the shock that cannon delivered to it the first time."

"Ah," said Monkey, nodding his head and placing a bean bun in his mouth. "That makes sense."

The two pals sat and looked out to the city, before Po twisted around and looked to the temple as it reached for the heights it once gallantly embraced.

"She's a real beauty, isn't she?" Monkey marvelled, looking with Po at the temple.

"Ye- wait, she?" Po questioned, looking confused at the primate.

"Yeah, what else would she be? So majestic, standing tall as a beacon. Pity she couldn't be rebuilt to her former illustrious height. What I wouldn't have given to climb up and down her all day-"

"Monkey, it's a temple. Lifeless, made of wood, brick and stone, just like any other."

"It's not just a temple, Po," Monkey retorted, still gazing upon the structure. "This is what remains of the Tower of the Sacred Flame. It's filled with memories. History. Adventure and misery. It's so much more than just a building."

Po looked again at the building, attempting to look at it through his friend's eyes.

' _I guess it certainly must be, now it has been rebuilt as a memorial,_ ' Po considered, returning from his pain to the caring man who had suggested such a task be undertaken.

"Still, it couldn't have killed anyone to put in an elevator," Po said aloud, causing Monkey to laugh.

"Ah, Po. Don't you ever change," he chortled, placing a hand on Po's bandaged shoulder. Upon seeing the panda wince, he quickly retracted the hand. "Sorry."

Po waved him off as the primate master stood back up, twisting and stretching his back.

"The rest of us managed to get a table near the bottom of the steps. You wanna come join us?"

"Maybe later, Monkey," Po said, wincing a little. "I just need some time to think about some things."

"Well, you know where to find us if you need us," Monkey replied, waving before walking down the long stairs and off to the east side, on Po's right hand side. Po plopped a bean bun in his mouth as he watched his friend walk away before returning to his memories.

Though his bones still twinged from recollecting the cannon blast, looking back onto his birthplace caused a pang to course through his very being. The flashbacks to the attack, his father's valiant stance to buy he and his mother time to escape, and remembering his sweet mother's face as she gave her silent, weeping goodbye, luring the wolves away from her baby boy. Taking a moment to let his heart and mind settle down, his thoughts then turned towards the final battle. Seeing the Furious Five, his heroes and dear friends, chained and helpless to stop Shen's tyrannical plan, Po could feel the anger swell up in him, the fire that had been lit deep within his warrior spirit. A range of emotions then swept through him as the fight became hectic; relief in seeing the renewed hope in his friends, surprise at the unexpected arrival and support from Masters Shifu, Croc and Storming Rhino, fear as he was targeted once again by the fierce cannon and an intense mixture of shock and agonizing worry as Tigress shoved him out of the way of the projectile, taking the shot that his scarred and lesioned body most likely couldn't have taken again so soon. His huge worry grew as he recalled the bodies in the water, his friends looking defeated as they floated on driftwood from the exploded ships, some being conscious enough to see the fleet sail out of the river and into the harbour. He vividly remembered swimming out to Tigress, looking nearly dead to the world after taking the bulk of the explosion. By some miracle, her ironwood toughened skin managed to be hard enough to protect her … just, though somehow she was able to swim back to land and walk shortly afterwards. Looking back, though, seeing her struggle to maintain consciousness and her grip in his hand weaken stirred up feelings now he couldn't quite place in his weary state, though he knew that her selfless sacrifice at the time gave him the determination to face off in one last stand, embracing his inner peace and ending Shen's ruthless reign. The rejoice of everyone when it was finally over was immense, save for the stunned silence when he hugged Tigress upon finding out that she was safe.

' _Why did I hug her there and then?'_ Po questioned himself, something he hadn't really considered. ' _I … I was just relieved, wasn't I? Relieved that she was okay?'_

Too tired and weary to think straight, Po groaned as he leant back and lay face up, staring into the sunny sky. Times like these, especially in his condition, were not ideal for contemplating such matters. If his mind and body was struggling to cope with the memories of recent events, then bringing new issues may not be such a good idea.

* * *

"No luck?" Viper asked Monkey as he arrived at their table and pulled up a chair. Tigress, Crane and Monkey were also sitting on chairs with Viper coiled up on another while Mantis stood on the table.

"Nope. He said he wanted some time alone to think," Monkey replied, relaying Po's message back to them.

"Some time to think?" Mantis questioned, raising his tiny eyebrow. "Who is he and what has he done with Po?"

They all chuckle lightly at that comment, noting Po's reluctance to think a lot of things through.

"Seriously, though, let's go easy on him," Viper stated as everyone settled down. "We've all been through a lot. He really might be having trouble dealing with some things."

They all look up the stairs, just being able to see Po's head and shoulders above the stone ornate railings that lined the stairs. To them, he seemed to be in deep thought, but from this distance they couldn't see just how he was feeling.

"Should we go up and talk to him?" Crane asked, rising out of his chair slightly.

"No, let's let him think for now," Viper answered, shaking her head. "If he needs us, we'll be there for him."

They all murmur in agreement and eat the dishes in front of them, Mantis eating dumplings, Viper and Crane eating noodle soup and Monkey still with his bean buns. Tigress has a plate of tofu cubes in front of her, though she seems to be mindlessly pushing it around with her chopsticks instead of eating. Her mind is otherwise preoccupied, focused instead on other matters of the mind.

"… Tigress?" Mantis asks, noticing her strange behaviour as he looked up from his dumplings.

"Hmm?" she replies softly, not looking up from her dish.

"U-Uh … you're not eating," he stated, caught a little off guard by her lack of presence. The rest of the Furious Five look at her with a gentle worry in their eyes, the care they have for each other showing.

"Tigress, what's wrong?" Viper questioned, slithering over and placing her tail on Tigress' shoulder. The striped master brushed Viper's tail off absentmindedly, drawing more looks of concern.

"Hello, everyone," a warm yet gruff voice greets them all, away from the table.

Looking at the source of the voice, they all see Master Shifu standing before them in his orange-brown robe and jade green shawl, leaning against Oogway's old staff. The five masters all jump to their feet, or straighten in the case of Viper, and bow to him.

"Master," they all reply in kindness, to which Shifu bowed his head in response.

"I've come to tell you all that you will be leaving for the Valley of Peace tomorrow."

"What? But the rebuilding is nearly finished!" Crane stated.

"Master, can't we stay and finish the restoration?" Monkey pleaded, clasping his hands together. The other members of the Furious Five, minus Tigress, looked at him with similar imploring expressions. The leader of the five just looked upon her master and father figure with a weary expression which seemed to trouble Shifu.

"I'm sorry, but I really need you to head back to the Jade Palace. There are only a few other kung fu students from other temples there that could be spared to look over the Valley of Peace," Shifu explained to the disappointment of the masters. "Not to mention you all still need to rest up properly."

"Yes, master," they muttered downcast, looking at the ground.

"You can have the rest of the day off," Shifu continued, which brought surprised expressions to all, even Tigress. "Get what you want to take back ready tonight. Take in the sights. Relax and rest. A boat will be ready in the harbour tomorrow."

They all nod and bow again before beginning to walk away, setting off in many different directions.

"Uh, could I have a word with you before you go, Tigress?" Shifu asked, putting a hand on her paw. She hesitates, but gives in in the end.

"Of course, master."

They walk off slowly together, Shifu leaning on the staff and Tigress with her hands behind her back.

"Is something troubling you, Tigress?" the red panda asks after a moment of silence, looking at the female he trained since she was a child.

"I … I don't …" she stammers, looking down at her feet.

"It's alright. You can trust me, can't you?"

"I-It's nothing I can't handle, master," Tigress muttered.

"Alright," Shifu concluded, giving in to Tigress with a look of fatherly concern.

The aging red panda looked over her melancholy expression, gloom flowing forth from her downcast face and her distant, usually vivid yellow eyes. Her usually tall and straight figure was currently hunched over as if she had been carrying everyone in China and their problems on her shoulders, aging her complexion beyond belief. Shifu watched Tigress, faintly displaying his growing anxiety over the woman he raised as a young child, before regaining his composure, ears perking up from their drooped position, as he noticed the person in front of them.

"Ah, Po. There you are," Shifu stated, snapping Tigress out of her detached state of mind, her rare expression of shock revealing her sudden revelation that she and her father figure had been climbing the long flight of paved stairs leading up to the temple. Judging from Po's blinking and glancing down at them from his recumbent position, he hadn't noticed them approaching him either.

"Hello, Master Shifu and Tigress," Po greeted, gingerly sitting up and bowing to them. "What can I help you with?"

"I just came here to let you know that a ship will be taking you and the others back to the Valley of Peace tomorrow," Shifu announced to him, holding Oogway's staff at a slanted angle behind his back.

"What?! B-But … what about the temple?! What about the memorial?!" Po started, moving forwards abruptly. The sudden change in position caused spasms of sharp pain to course through his body, bringing a wounded cringe to the Dragon Warrior as he clutched his lower chest. Tigress, letting down her guard with her eyes flashing wide in worry, rushed over to her friend and dropped to one knee beside him. She put her firm paws around Po, one over his large paws and one on his back, gently leaning him back into an upright sitting position.

"Calm yourself, panda," Shifu chastised softly, jumping over next to Po and keeping a wary eye on he and Tigress as she aided the large panda. "This is why you are all leaving tomorrow; to allow you all the chance to completely heal from your injuries."

Tigress slowly pushed back against Po, leaning the panda back until he reached a position that his pained expression seemed to ease up, the only visual indication they had of the torment happening within him.

"Thank you," he sighed to Tigress when she had finished assisting him. In response, she gave him a soft, warm smile, closing her eyes and nodding to Po.

' _She really should smile more often,'_ Po couldn't help but think when looking at the master of the Tiger style of Kung Fu, his heart fluttering a tad. ' _She looks so beautiful when she does, it really suits her._ '

"You don't need to concern yourself with this now, Po," Shifu continued after observing that Po was alright, now standing in front of the panda with a hand on Po's leg. "The temple can be constructed without the aid of the rest of you; there isn't much else that needs to be done. Other masters and students from Kung Fu temples around China are going to be coming here to help organise what the next course of action will be, and the memorial will be held later. You can all attend then if that is your wish. "

"Okay," Po grumbled, a little upset as he felt he was just being thrown aside to put everyone's mind at ease over his injuries.

' _I'm healing fine as it is_ ,' Po mentally complained. ' _We can all stick around, surely?'_

"This isn't just for you, panda," Shifu added, spotting the discontent on Po's face. "You all need to heal from your wounds, and it's better for that to happen when everyone is out of harm's way. Not to mention, the villagers at the Valley of Peace will want to see you all made it. Your father was particularly traumatized by the whole experience, especially when I made to follow you. He knew that something was wrong."

"Don't you want to see your father? Let him know everything's fine now?" Tigress questioned, remembering how deeply Mr Ping was saddened by Po's departure. Not to mention, she promised him that Po would be back quicker than he could say "noodles", and she was determined to make sure Po returned home even if it killed her.

"Y-Yeah … I guess …" Po muttered, looking down.

"We're going with you, remember?" Tigress warmly spoke, putting a comforting paw on Po's arm. "You aren't going to be alone."

Both Po and Shifu were surprised by the softness that Tigress was displaying, her softer side still rarely coming forth despite opening up more since Po had defeated Tai Lung.

'Ah … _Is this what is troubling you, child?'_ Shifu mused, his eyes widening slightly at his foster daughter's display. ' _Are you sure this is the path you want to take?'_

"W-well, I'll leave you to it," Shifu stammered, clearing his throat and walking away. The slight awkwardness in which he spoke went unnoticed by the younger masters as they looked upon each other with friendly warmth, though emotional confusion ran through each other's veins. Their feelings for one another unexplored thoroughly by either creature.

Within Po, old but strong feelings of admiration and adoration for his favourite member of the Furious Five fused with his current affection and friendship with her, building up into something that threatened to boil over. His heart pounded like a drum, rattling his cracked rib cage. For Tigress, what flowed through her was foreign and strange. Sure, she'd had fleeting moments of fantasies over others, but this was something far deeper and more powerful.

Without thinking, she slowly started rubbing her thumb along his arm, caressing the fur underneath. Startled, Po looked down at her paw, watching her gentle touch brush against his thick black arm. The benign rubbing of her thumb brought rapid heat to his cheeks, while thoughts of something intimate between them resurfaced from the depths of his mind. Dreams and fantasies Po thought long gone merged with the shivers sent by Tigress' seemingly benevolent touch on his arm set the redness in his cheeks to a fierce blush, hidden thanks only to the sheer whiteness of his fur.

Curious, Tigress looked down at where Po's normally friendly eyes were focused, to find her hand gently rubbing his arm up and down, reacting to her heart's desire to make sure he was okay over her confused head. Finally realising what she was doing, she forced her hand away from its slight intimacy with Po and, jumping to her feet, held both her paws behind her back, each paw clasping the other in order to prevent her limbs from wandering when her mind was in shambles.

"U-Um … i-is there anything you want packed for the journey?" Tigress asked, looking off to the side with a little embarrassment. "B-Besides the pack you brought up?"

"Tigress, I think I can get what I need to on my own," Po answered, looking as if he was getting ready to stand up.

"Considering you were in pain just from moving around on the ground," Tigress responded, her other paw that wasn't caressing Po held out to stop him, "I think you could use the help."

Po caught himself from standing as he pondered Tigress' offer. Sighing after a moment, he sat back down in the position he was to begin with.

"Fine," Po sighed, looking up at Tigress and pouting in unhappy defeat.

" So … what do you want?" Tigress questioned, dropping down on one knee in front of Po and resting her paws on her front knee. There was an awkward silence between the two as Po contemplated whether or not there was anything he needed. Awkward for anyone if they were watching, however. Tigress' stoic nature and the time spent around Po up till now had prepared her for the patience she would show others in these situations, though Po not talking for long periods of time felt strange to her.

"I … I don't think there's anything I need," Po answered after his moment of consideration, causing his tiger friend to raise her eyebrows.

"Are you sure?" Tigress said, tilting her head off to the right. "Because I'm-"

"It's fine, Tigress. Really," Po reaffirmed, the female tiger centring her head again. "Just take care of what you need to."

Tigress pushed herself up to her feet with some surprise. The Po she knew wouldn't have hesitated to request something, especially being in his current condition.

"Okay," she said simply before turning to face the long flight of steps. "I'll see you later then, Dragon Warrior."

Tigress slowly walked down the paved steps, her tail swinging ever so slightly as if it was being held central by a thin wire. Her mind was, unusually, a clatter of thoughts after that conversation with the panda master.

' _What's going on with Po? I'm only trying to help him, so why refuse my offer? He's too injured to do much. And what was up with my paw …?'_

Tigress looks down and raises her paw up at that last thought, the paw in questions that softly rubbed Po's arm. She couldn't place why she had done it, or when she even thought to do it. In fact, because she was trying to reassure Po, Tigress was willing to put it purely down to just instinct.

"Oh, wait," Po whispered to himself as something suddenly came to him. His eyes seemed to widen and sparkle with excitement and his ears perked up. "Tigress?!"

Upon hearing Po, Tigress stoped halfway down the stairs and ran back up, stopping three quarters of the way to the top.

"Po? What is it?"

"Could you make sure there are a couple of crates of radishes on the boat?"

Tigress' expression goes blank, unable to comprehend why such a thing like radishes would be vital for Po to take back.

"Radishes. Are you sure? There's nothing else you want?"

"Nope," Po replied, shaking his head. "Just radishes."

Tigress, still stunned by Po's seemingly odd request, just turned around and walked back down the stairs with no change in her expression.

' _Why would he want radishes?'_ Tigress mused, baffled by the choice Po had made.

"Thanks, Tigress!" Po shouted after her, raising one large furry paw up in a wave.

* * *

 **AN: Yeah, so I hope you all enjoyed that. If it's a little slow for people, then I apologise. Honestly, I feel that a slower build up suits the relationship between Po and Tigress a lot better, mostly due to Tigress' style and personality. That could just be me, I don't know.**

 **If you do like my style, and this story, then I invite you to read my other fics on here. They may not include other Kung Fu Panda fics, but there are How To Train Your Dragon fics for you Dreamworks fanatics. I do have other stories for KFP I want to write, but for now I'm going to take this as I can. I am in Yr 12 after all, and it is not a good time. Not because it's hard or anything, I just get either really bored or really pissed off at school. So, I write to ease my mind.**

 **By all means, feel free to tell me what you think of this. Constructive criticism is always welcome. If you want to ask anything, or even just talk, I'm happy for you to do that as well. But yeah, thoughts either through PM or in the reviews are most welcome. How else can I know if what I'm doing is good or not?**

 **Until next time. Adios.**


	2. Déjà Vu

**AN: Yep ... a 10,000 word chapter for a 'short story' ... Well, you know what they say; go big or go home.**

 **Thank you for you guys who reviewed in the previous chapter. I would like to thank you all for your kind comments, and hopefully this still keeps to the standard of the last chapter. For those of you who faved and followed this as well, thank you very much.**

 **Admittedly, I could've chopped this up into two chapters if I really wanted to, but I thought it all seemed to go well better as an entirety instead of two halves.**

 **Also, fair warning, you guys are going to hate part of this chapter. But, no matter how you may feel, please keep reading. It should hopefully explain why later on. You'll know the section when you read it, so I don't need to tell you when. You have been warned. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – Déjà Vu**

"Again, we're so sorry, Master Shifu," an old grey goose apologised with sincerity to the red panda, he and his fellow geese lowering their heads and bowing.

They stood along a wooden planked pier sticking out of the berth of the Gongmen City harbour, the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior standing behind Shifu. The sun is high up in the sky and starting to fall. Behind the gaggle of geese sits moored to the pier sits the wooden boat not unlike the one that Po and the Five sailed through the night on their journey to Gongmen City, with wooden crates and barrels filled with food already loaded onto the deck. The boat seems ready to sail save for the missing sail for the mast, the remains of red fabric shredded and tattered to the thick wood.

"It's alright. What happened has happened," Shifu cryptically replied, confusing a couple of the geese. "The five have dealt with the bandits and brought back what was stolen."

Indeed, early in the morning that Po and the Furious Five were meant to leave, heading back home to the Valley of Peace, wolf bandits that had escaped from the carnage of the final battle with Shen and taken up a life of crime snuck into the harbour and ran off with some of the items that were to be taken back by the six victorious heroes, along with tearing down and taking the sail and some tools needed to repair the water vessels. When they heard what had happened upon their arrival to the harbour Tigress, Mantis, Viper, Crane and Monkey took off, hunting down the thieves to return what was stolen. Po, in his condition, was prevented from joining in the chase by Shifu, much to the Dragon Warrior's disappointment. So, while the Furious Five dealt with tracking down and recovering the stolen items, Po set about helping the harbour workers repair what they could on the boat without their tools.

Following the ruffling of wolf fur and the breaking of some fangs and bones, the Furious Five returned from their retrieval mission carrying the crates, barrels and tool boxes. Monkey had the torn sail wrapped around his neck like a cape, feeling quite pleased with himself when he first came up with the idea. The red sail with a now shredded dragon pattern flapped in the wind behind him, giving off quite a heroic feel to the primate. One wolf had even chosen to steal Po's backpack that he had hauled all the way back from the Valley of Peace; the same pack that his adoptive father Mr Ping had packed for him. Tigress had her friend's pack slung over her shoulders as they stood behind Shifu, the returned goods in their arms save for Viper who had placed what she could carry on the wooden pathway in front of her. By now, though, their expedition had taken them till just past midday to return from, meaning they had lost all hope of an early start.

"May we please see the condition of the sail?" another goose, one with brown feathers, inquired, holding out his wings. Monkey reluctantly untied the sail and gave the fabric to the goose who, with the assistance of other geese, laid out the torn sail.

"Um … It appears that the sail is too damaged to be of any use," the lead goose observed, reluctantly turning to the kung fu masters. "Unfortunately, it's going to take another hour or two before we can attach a new sail and get you ready to go."

"No, no, it's alright," Po answered as the goose bowed again in apology.

"There was nothing you could've done to stop them," Viper added, slithering forwards.

"Is there anything that we can do to help you repair the boat?" Shifu questioned, the others looking ready to help.

"Uh … no, no, I- We couldn't possibly ask you to do any more," the goose replied, flapping his wings in front of him. "I mean, you already dealt with the bandits. We can get the sail up as quickly as possible."

"Alright then," Shifu sighed before turning to his students. The geese gratefully grabbed the tool boxes from the kung fu masters and hopped onto the boat, looking over and repairing what damage to the hull and deck they could. A couple of them flew off to a large wood and concrete building, coming out with a new white sail.

"Well … looks like we're here for another couple of hours," Mantis stated, stretching his many limbs. "Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"How about you all take one last walk around the city?" Shifu suggested, the faces of the masters lightening up at his words. "I'll load up the supplies that you retrieved and I'll send a messenger off to get you if you're not back by the time the repairs are finished."

"That sounds like a great idea, Master Shifu!" Po exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air as the Furious Five placed the crates and barrels on the walkway.

"Last one to the market is making dinner," Monkey challenged as he shot off towards the houses of the city, bouncing up the stairs leading down to the harbour and onto the bridge that the six of them used as cover when they first arrived. Viper and Mantis took off after him with a grin, with Viper slithering along the water and Mantis leaping up onto the brick structured bridge. Crane shot off into the sky, flying straight towards the market lane.

"Hey guys! No fair!" Po shouted as he joined in, moving with the speed somewhere between a run and a jog, albeit with a bit of a limp on his left leg.

Tigress slid Po's pack off and handed it to her master before making to take off, but she was held back as Oogway's staff hooked in under her armpit, spinning her around to face Shifu.

"Keep an eye out on them," the Grand Master of the Jade Palace said with an air of pleading in his voice. "Make sure they don't do anything stupid. We don't need them getting hurt again."

"Yes, master," Tigress replied, closing her eyes and nodding with a slight smile on her face before she turned and took off after everyone, racing along the ground on all fours. The warmth of pride filled Shifu's heart as he watched the enjoyment his pupils race off between and over buildings, bringing a rare smile to the otherwise disciplined and stoic master.

' _They should be fine,'_ he couldn't help but think as he began to reload the supplies onto their boat, carrying them with ease.

* * *

The race to the market lane took the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior through the skies, alleyways, under bridges and over rooftops. Crane easily made it first, his ability to fly all but giving him the ultimate advantage in a race through a domestic setting. Mantis finished second, his incredible agility and jumping prowess, along with his small size, allowing him to swiftly bypass many of the obstacles in his way.

"You and those god-damned wings!" Mantis shouted as he approached Crane who was standing on one leg outside the fireworks cart, preening his feathers with his long beak. "There's no point racing against you here, is there?"

"I could say the same for you when we're racing through tight spaces," Crane retorted in an even tone, making the praying mantis pull up.

"Hmm … I guess you have a point there," Mantis said, rubbing one of his raptorial front legs over his chin before jumping up on the cart.

Monkey placed third as he leapt down from the rooftops, his long tail and flexible body allowing him to swing and jump with ease across the city. Not to mention his head start gave him an advantage for not finishing last as well.

"Should have known," Monkey grinned as he landed before his two friends, before leaning up against a grey wall. "So, who do you think is going to be last?"

"Honestly? Po," Mantis answered bluntly, his face with no sign of thought otherwise.

"Probably. I mean, he is injured," Crane added, putting in his opinion.

"So are the rest of us," Mantis pointed out, before adding shortly afterwards, "… somewhat."

"Yeah, but not like he is. I kind of keel bad for him."

"Me too," Monkey glumly agreed, lowering his head.

"Hey, maybe the person who finishes second last should cook instead," Crane suggested.

"So … we're eating either Viper's cooking, or Tigress'," Mantis deduced.

"I'd still take Po's," Money announced, his eyes widening in realization.

"Yeah, I'm with him."

"So am I, but it just wouldn't be fair," Crane reasoned, trying to defend his proposal. "Besides, their cooking isn't that bad."

"Okay, I'll side with you on Viper's cooking," Mantis admitted, rubbing his forelegs together. "She can make a nice soup."

"Tigress, though …" Monkey began, shaking his head and holding his hands out in a 'what needs to be said' attitude.

"What are you boys talking about?" Viper queried as she slithered along the stone slabbed ground towards them, finishing fourth in the race.

Viper's slender body allowed her to fit quite easily through narrow spaces, allowing her to easily take any shortcuts that come across her way, no matter how small. Her slithering action gave her the ability to swim across the water, giving her a big advantage early on finding a straight line path back at the harbour. Upon seeing her, Monkey covered his head in his hands and slumped to the ground with a woeful groan.

"Hmph, fine. I'll just go somewhere else," she hissed, turning her head away from Monkey.

"No! It's nothing like that!" Mantis explained, waving his forelegs around frantically. "He's just upset because Crane suggested that the second last person make dinner instead of the last one."

"Why change it all of a sudden?" she enquired, putting her tail to her chin.

"Because Po's likely to finish last because of his wounds," Crane justified, repeating himself again. "I just felt it wasn't fair on him to do the forfeit when he's at a disadvantage."

"That sounds fair," Viper reasoned. "So, the reason Monkey's acting like that is because … Tigress hasn't finished yet?"

"Bingo!" Mantis exclaimed, his voice carrying surprisingly for it coming from such a miniscule body.

"I'm just sick of tofu after my last mission with her," Monkey grumbled, his hands dropping to cradle his legs. "The smell of tofu for breakfast, lunch, dinner, even snacks! The only time she didn't have tofu was when I could scrounge fruit from the trees."

"It can't have been that bad," Crane interjected, trying to soften the conversation. "You can't mind it that much if you don't complain when Po cooks it. He makes a fair amount of tofu dishes for Tigress when he's in charge of dinner."

"Well … yeah, but those smell delicious! There's a difference!"

Just as Monkey shouted those words, Tigress slides around the corner with a trail of dust behind her and runs up to them, some breath out of her lungs from the speed she ran in order to avoid being last. Her fierce determination and competitive spirit, along with her long periods of training, gave her the strength to travel quickly over many various terrains and altitudes, which she used during the race through traveling along the ground, rooftops, running across tightropes high in the air between buildings and even clawing on as she ran across vertical surfaces. Furthermore, she'd never really enjoyed cooking for other people if she could avoid it, giving her more incentive to finish before last place, oblivious to the conversations of the other masters.

"A-Am I the … last one?" Tigress panted, back up on both legs. When the other masters shook their heads, she seemed to be extremely relieved.

"Po still hasn't finished yet," Viper explained, putting emphasis on her 's'.

"H-He … He hasn't?" Tigress huffed, all emotion of relief wiped from her face by the news. "Does anyone know … where he is?"

The other masters turn to one another, a concerned look in all their eyes, before they look back at her and shake their heads. Tigress grits her teeth and makes to search for the panda, but the familiar voice of their last companion travels through the air and reaching them all.

"Come on, Dragon Warrior!" Po's voice shouted, almost definitely to himself, the not-too-faint volume of his vocalisations indicating that he was nearby. "Nearly there!"

"Po?!" Tigress called out, climbing up a nearby house onto the curve tiled roof and cupping her hands to her mouth. "Can you hear me?!"

After a couple of minutes the panda enters the laneway, hopping on his right leg and applying very little pressure to his left if he could help it. When Po finally stops running, he is doubled over with most of his weight on his right leg, his left barely touching the ground. Clutching his stomach, Po tries taking large, consequentially loud, breaths.

"I … I came last … didn't I?" he puffed heavily, looking down at the ground.

Tigress, deeply worried by seeing him in such a state, jumps down from the rooftop and runs up to him, crouching down and putting his left arm over her shoulders so she could support him and bear some of his weight.

"You shouldn't have pushed yourself, Po," she chastised, albeit softly, more concerned over his health than in teaching him a lesson.

"I-I'm fine, Ti … gress," he heaved as he seemed to start regaining his breath. "Just … a little … rusty."

Monkey jumped up off the floor and bounded over to them, putting himself under Po's other shoulder.

"Sorry, Po," he apologised genuinely. "Shouldn't have had you running with your injuries."

"Don't worry about it … So I … I guess I'm cooking?"

"Nope, we changed the rules slightly," Monkey explained, causing Tigress to raise an eyebrow curiously due to her not being part of this conversation. "Because we felt bad for making you run while you were wounded, we figured that the person who finished second last could take the forfeit."

"What?! So, I'm cooking?!" Tigress exclaimed, looking completely discomposed for a second.

"No … It's fine. I'll cook," Po huffed. "I … I didn't complain about the … original forfeit, so I'll … do it."

"Let's just get you over to a chair first," Tigress proposed, her even voice soothing Po a bit. "Lean against us if you need to."

With the support of Monkey and Tigress, Po was able to slowly move forwards towards an open space on the side of the street. Crane, in the time that the two kung fu masters had positioned themselves by Po, had gone over to a kindly old goat and, with her generous will, borrowed a three legged stool, setting it down in the space that the three were trying to get to. As the right leg was stronger, not much weight was put on the male primate as the leg was able to take his mass. However, when it came to Po stepping off of his right leg, the majority of his weight was shifted to Tigress, wisely putting herself there as she was the strongest of the Five. With her power, she was able to safely support his weight like a crutch as he slowly moved. Together, the three of them managed to haul Po over to the stool and gently set him down on it, the panda leaning back slightly against the white concrete house wall behind him. Mantis jumped onto his injured leg and began poking it with his spiked raptorial legs, causing hisses to come from Po.

"Sorry, Po, but I need to see what the problem is," Mantis explained as he continued prodding.

"It's fine. Do what you have to do," Po replied through gritted teeth.

A small crowd started to gather around the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five as these events occurred. Viper and Crane stepped between the crowd and Po, trying to give them some much needed space, with Monkey leaving Po's side to do the same. Tigress, however, stayed with Po, taking his paw in hers for comfort. Through the pain he would instinctively grip tighter to her offered paw, something which she couldn't feel and, if she had any indication he was doing so, didn't mind in the slightest. For though her mind was trying to set her usual emotionless guard back up, her heart was telling her this was something she needed to do, for both their sakes. That her concern and worry would be eased if she could support him, and that he needed someone else to be beside him in case something went badly wrong. Something else began to stir, the foreign feeling from the day before back at the Temple of the Sacred Tower, but she forced it away with a shake of her head. Now, she needed to be with her friend, not becoming lost in the void of her emotions and desires that she had kept locked away for so long. A vast expanse that contained her innermost thoughts, her true feelings, her spectacular curiosities and the most emotional and deepest desires banished from her heart from where they once slept.

"Hmm … looks like it's a bone splint, not a nerve or muscle issue," Mantis diagnosed after prodding up and down Po's leg. "I can't specifically heal it with the nerve triggers."

"So there's nothing you can do?" Po asked, looking with some strain at the insect.

"Most I can do is numb the receptors so you don't feel anything," Mantis answered, scratching his head. "I guess I could relax the muscles a tad, but the best thing for it is for you to rest. Don't stand on it."

"Fine," Po groaned, looking down glumly. Tigress gently patted the paw in hers with her other paw, which comforted him a little.

By now, the crowd surrounding them had grown quite large, to the point that Tigress, Po and Mantis all took notice of them now. All of the civilians carried looks of happiness and gratitude, though a few carried slight signs of worry for the condition of the Dragon Warrior.

Voices cried out from the crowd, shouting to all nearby, "Our saviours! They saved us from Lord Shen!" The adulations of the people brought tender feelings of warmth to the kung fu masters, smiles gracing all their faces, including Tigress.

"One last show of gratitude!" a young light grey rabbit yelled, jumping up onto the stand of a kite seller. "A farewell celebration for our heroes!"

Cheers of joy rang out from the congregation, with the thankful masters loudly voicing their agreement. The mass spread out, grabbing food, drink, costumes and music as they commemorated their liberators from the dark embrace of Lord Shen. Several pigs and sheep came over to the firework cart, grabbing many rockets. Lighting them, the rockets flew into the sky, exploding in an array of sparkling colours. Some exploded into peonies, transitioning from aquamarine to green to orange as they grew larger in size, while others detonated into beautiful rose red chrysanthemums radiating in the afternoon sky. Some palmed out into beams of golden light, while others rose higher and higher like comets returning to the expanse beyond their world. But by far, the most popular was the fireworks that blew up into large willows, raining golden light down above them as if they were caught in the midst of a meteor shower.

Dancing music soon started playing, a band made of a mix of rabbits, pigs and geese playing joyous and melodious tunes with their various instruments. Viper slithered out to a bunch of young dancing girls who twirled and spun with ribbons in their paws, trotters and wings, amongst other limbs. When they presented her with a silken pink ribbon, she gleefully joined in to the delight of the children, her smooth dancing of flicks, spins, coils and twirls causing the ribbon to look and feel like an extension of her own body. Monkey crawled over to a bunch of playful boys and fitted right in with them, teaching them how to do simple pranks to one another and playing tag with them all. Crane, surrounded by teams of young critters, borrowed a small cart and took groups of children flying through the skies, the youth laughing with wonder along to the enjoyment of the feathered master. Mantis leapt off Po's leg and bounced all over the celebrations, partaking in the many festivities, talking with numerous locals and even joining in with the musicians for a couple of tunes. Po, wisely, remained seated on the stool. A little to his surprise, Tigress remained with him, leaning back against the wall behind them with her back and a foot, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Tigress, why aren't you joining in?" Po questioned, looking quizzically at his friend as giggling children ran up to, under, around and on top of the Dragon Warrior and adults bowed to the two of them, professing their appreciations and respect.

"Festivals have never really been my thing," she responded calmly, bringing a twinge of sadness to Po at her declaration.

"Why not? Celebrations are really fun. There's always so much dancing, music and food!"

"My life has and will always be kung fu," Tigress said, oddly enough lacking the conviction that she normally would have.

"You don't sound too sure about that," Po pointed out, catching on to the unusual deliverance of her words.

"I am," she said matter-of-factly, frowning at herself more than Po but determined to leave the subject at that. She turned her head away from him, furrowing her brow in the process.

' _What's wrong with me?'_ she thought to herself, confliction growing within her. ' _I've always said that kung fu would always be my life. What's changed to make me doubt even that firm belief?'_

"Well, even if your life will be full of kung fu, that doesn't mean that you can't have any fun," Po reasoned, making Tigress look back at him with an eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you at the Winter Festival, the year I was meant to host," Po elaborated with a knowing grin, Tigress delving into her memories back to that day. "I saw you with that piglet in your arms, trying to feed it dumplings."

"Th-That was … That was different!" Tigress snapped, trying to regain the ground she suddenly lost with Po's observations. "The mother couldn't get it to eat and, for whatever reason, it latched onto me and wouldn't let go until it was fed."

"That's not how I remember it," Po stated thoughtfully, rolling his eyes up. "I distinctly remember you scooping him up off the ground. You were just a big soft kitten with him in your arms."

Tigress growled at the Dragon Warrior, baring her sharp teeth. Po throw his arms up in a surrendering manner as she took a menacing step forward, cracking her neck.

"Okay! Okay! Not a softie! A hard, independent woman!" Po whimpered fearfully, frantically trying to backpedal his way out of the situation. "Hard as platinum, as impervious as an iron wood tree!"

Tigress stoped growling at Po and returned to her leant position, her hardened gaze turned away from him and staring at a couple of kites gently glide in the air, the strings held by what looked like a young couple. Their open demonstrations of their love intrigued Tigress, softening out of her hardness and into a levelled state of mind. The foreign emotion reared its head once more, again forced away by the stoic master.

"I'm sorry, Tigress," Po sympathetically apologised, snapping Tigress out of her curiosity and bringing her attention back to him. "I just thought … I dunno, maybe you'd have opened up a bit more, you know? Not be so serious."

"That's just who I am, Po," she replied softly, aware that her friend was hurt by her resistance to his kindness.

"So why don't you want to join in with everyone?" Po asked again.

"Because it never appeals to me," she sighed, giving in to his prodding. "I don't know … maybe it did when I was a little girl, but not now. Wild celebrations don't appeal to me. Being around lots of people doesn't either, for the most part."

"So why put up with us?"

"You guys are different," she explained. "We live together, train together, fight together. I've been around Shifu and the Furious Five for a long time, I've gotten used to being with them."

"So why not give this a try?" Po persisted as he gestured to the mass of cheering people, trying to find anything that could get her involved, to maybe savour letting herself go every now and again. "You could get used to these people and these types of 'wild' parties. You never know, you might even enjoy yourself."

"Someone has to make sure you don't hurt yourself doing something you shouldn't," she replied.

"I don't think I'll be doing anything with this," Po pointed out, signalling to his bad leg as it lay on an angle, the heel resting on the ground with the toes pointing to the sky littered with fireworks.

"Exactly. So I'm here to make sure you don't run off forgetting that you should be resting," Tigress continued, the corners of her mouth turning up in a slight smirk at his feigned wounded reaction.

"I thought you didn't have a sense of humour," Po retorted, a smile of his own crossing his face. Tigress just shook her head in amusement as they both watched the merrymaking before them, their friends immersed in the jollification.

"Po?" Tigress said after a moment of calm silence. "I'll help you tonight with the cooking."

"Nah, you don't have to do that," he responded. "I've got it covered."

"Seriously, if those guys felt that you were hard done by on the rules, then I'll help you."

"Tigress, there's-"

"Excuse me, but would you both like some rice?" asked a feminine voice the two of them had heard recently.

Turning to the source of the sound, they noticed the kindly sheep that they saved during their 'stealthy' trip through the city in a dragon costume. The sheep wore a burgundy woollen jumper and carried two bowls filled with steamed rice on a wooden platter. Both masters graciously accepted the offered food, also receiving a pair of chopsticks each from the good-natured ewe.

"Thank you, kind sheep," Po said, expressing his gratitude as he welcomed the dish. "Twice now you have helped us with your goodness."

Tigress silently thanked the woman with a nod of her head, sliding down the wall before sitting cross legged in the lotus position on the stone surface. Taking in a deep breath, the tiger master slowly began eating, savouring her meal with each mouthful.

"Oh, nonsense," she replied with a laugh, waving him off with a hoof. "I just thought you two could've wanted something to eat over her by yourselves."

"But without you, we could never have found Masters Croc and Ox. So, I thank you for that," Tigress said, bowing her head.

"Ooh, it's quite alright, dear. You all more than repaid anything that I may have been owed by saving us. Is there anything else you might require?"

Both Dragon Warrior and leader of the Furious Five shake their heads, already grateful for the kindness she had given them.

"Well then, if I don't get to see you both again before you leave, then have a safe journey back to your homes at the Valley of Peace," she said, bowing to them. The two return the gesture before Tigress returns to her dish.

"By the way, Dragon Warrior," the sheep whispered in Po's ear prior to his commencement of eating, leaning in so only he could hear, "don't worry about your arguments with Master Tigress. Every couple argues in the beginning."

"Of course they- Wait, what do you mean 'couple'?!" Po questions as the ewe titters, walking away from the masters.

Tigress' eyes widen at Po's question, a few grains of rice flying from her mouth as she has a mini coughing fit before proceeding to hitting her sternum hard, some rice going down the wrong way when she swallowed rice at the inopportune moment.

"Couple?!" she strains, growling as she clasped her neck and cleared her throat. The two masters look one another in the eye before hastily looking away in embarrassment, eating their bowls of rice in an awkward silence between them permeated only by the sounds of chopsticks clinking against the china bowls. Around them, the festivities continued as usual, no one taking any notice of what had just happened between the two.

Nearly two hours after the Furious Five and Po had decided to race to the market place, one of the geese from the harbour flew down to them, alerting Tigress that the repairs had been finished and that Shifu was waiting for them. The celebrations were still going strong, music playing loudly and with nearly everyone dancing, more civilians having turned up as time went by. Even Masters Croc and Storming Ox had arrived for a spell, joining in with the merriment alongside Monkey and Mantis before returning to the nearly rebuilt Temple of the Sacred Flame, but not before wishing the others a fond farewell and thanking them appreciatively for the service they had done for Gongmen City.

With longing regret in parting from the merrymaking, the six kung fu masters departed from the market and made their way back to the harbour. They all walked together which, though it made their trip slower, allowed them to travel altogether with Po. His leg still struggled from the run before though he was now down to a moderate limp in his step, so he could put some weight on his left leg. Tigress still took up the position under his left shoulder, acting as his support yet again, taking less of his weight as she did when he finished their midday race. Still, they all remained cheerful from their recent experience, with Monkey, Po, Tigress and Crane carrying some gifts they received from the locals upon their departure, a farewell present from Gongmen City. Monkey carried a crate filled with various kinds of fireworks, Crane held under his wings two small barrels of tea leaves, Po held a couple of fold out kites in his unassisted palm, currently folded up into a small triangle, and Tigress carried a small barrel of vegetables.

When they eventually arrived at the harbour, one look at Shifu told them that he was tired and would like that they leave as soon as possible. Considering what had happened up till now, they couldn't really blame him. His eyes seemed distant, focused to another point in China or in time, wearied and aged with stress. His back was slightly hunched over, Oogway's staff stopping him from his back arching over further. When he turned to face them, his still sharp observation skills easily pinpointed the recent aggravation to Po's leg.

"What happened to Po?" he asked, gruff concern filling his voice.

"Remember the race we had to the market?" Monkey replied as he walked past, answering the question with another question.

"So, he-"

"Over did it? Yes, he did," Crane answered, also walking past Master Shifu.

"And why-"

"It was a bone splint," Mantis stated, jumping onto the ship as Crane and Monkey set their items down with the other barrels and crates on the deck of the boat, Monkey's by the sides of the cabin and Crane with the others at the front of the deck. "There wasn't anything I could do."

"Alright," Shifu sighed, nodding at Viper as she slithered by and onto the boat. The red panda pulled an intricately designed blue and steel grey scroll case out from his green shawl, holding it aloft for his students to see.

"This is a map showing the area between here and the Jade Palace," Shifu explained, his pupils facing him with full attention. "It shows a path different to the one you took here. It'll be a longer time on water than your journey here, but it should be quicker overall."

"How did you find out about this path?" Viper hissed.

"The geese working here told me," Shifu responded. "They said that few merchants know about the route, but it is a reliable one. It should take you through the night, so you can arrive in the port by morning. One of you should hold onto this map, so you don't lose your way."

"I better take it," Crane proposed, flying over and receiving the map from Shifu.

"Good call, Crane. You're the ideal person for navigation, seeing as you can fly."

"No need to rub it in," Monkey moaned.

"Well, you better get ready to depart," Shifu stated, dismissing the masters. They bowed to him and got on the wooden boat, preparing to set sail. He turned to face Tigress and Po, the former still helping Po along.

"Well, at least you can look out for the others, Tigress," Shifu sighed as the two of them approached him.

"Hey! It's not that bad!" Po complained, trying to defend himself.

"You couldn't stand on it," Tigress put bluntly.

"It's getting better," he replied.

"Still, you need to take things easy, panda," Shifu lectured. "If you are going to push yourself when your body isn't ready, then you are going to be out of action for longer."

"Fine," he grumbled, entering a sulky pout.

"Good. Zeng will be at the port when you arrive," Shifu continued, speaking more to Tigress than Po. "He knows you will be late, and he will send a message to the masters and students at the Jade Palace when you reach the port."

"Okay, Master Shifu," she said formally. "We'll make sure they know when we arrive."

"Good. Now, you both better get aboard. I'm sure that celebration has tired some of you out."

"You, uh … you saw that?" Po asked.

"It's a bit hard to miss fireworks, Dragon Warrior," Shifu elucidated, as he started to leave them. "Give them my regards."

"You're not going to see us off?" Po asked, a little surprised.

"No, Po. I have some urgent business to attend to. I'm afraid I must be going."

"Okay. Well … take care, Master Shifu," Po said, he and Tigress standing upright and, placing one of their paws in the other, bowing to their master. That is, until Po's leg gave out and Tigress was forced to catch him, placing her arms around him again and holding him up.

"Thanks, Tigress," Po said through gritted teeth, holding onto her arm over his chest. With her help, he straightened back up, though she positioned herself back under shoulder.

"Look after him, Tigress," Shifu chuckled, smiling despite himself as he walked away, climbing up the stairs.

"Y-Yes, Master Shifu," Tigress stammered, caught unprepared by Shifu's warm laughing, before the two of them made their way onto the boat.

After a few checks were made, Crane looked over the map and Po was sat down on the deck, the masters of the Jade Palace set sail, their destination set for the Valley of Peace. As he said he would, Po still cooked dinner after losing the race, accepting the forfeit despite the insistence of the other masters that he didn't have to. True to her word, Tigress helped him with making the dishes despite Po's initial resistance, the pair making spicy tofu stir fry for everyone. Filled with the delicious meal, not a single soul complained about the combination of the tiger and panda's tastes. Not even Monkey, who even asked for seconds. Content and filled with a hearty meal, the six masters headed into the cabin, ready to rest on the way back to the Valley of Peace.

* * *

Po and the Five are back in Mr Ping's noodle shop, a gentle breeze blowing through the restaurant stirring dried leaves up off the ground. All seven of them are sat at a bench, the Furious Five retelling their daring journey into Gongmen City to the adoptive father of the Dragon Warrior. Monkey was retelling their attempt to stealthily make their way through the city, with everyone, including Tigress, laughing when it came to Po in the dragon costume.

"So we're all up on the roof," Monkey tittered, covering his mouth slightly to help avoid laughing in the middle of his tale, "and we look around, trying to find Po."

"For a big guy, he can be very hard to spot," Crane added, the others nodding their heads.

"Hey, to be fair, I went practically unnoticed by everyone up until then. I just needed the costume to get through the open spaces unseen," Po defended, looking up from his bowl of secret ingredient soup.

"Practically unnoticed?" Mantis inquired, picking up on the phrasing of Po's words.

"I, uh … had to pretend to be a women to knock out a wolf," Po declared sheepishly, rubbing the tips of his index fingers together.

His declaration of that little detail made Mr Ping, Monkey, Mantis and Crane howl with laughter, the primate banging the table with his fist and the goose slapping his sides with his wing. Viper giggled along, covering her mouth with her tail, while Tigress let out a couple of soft titter through closed lips, however letting a pleasant and slightly coquettish smile grace her lips, which Po couldn't help but stare at.

"Anyway … so now we join Po in the disguise," Monkey continued after everyone had settled down a bit.

Here, Po tuned out what Monkey was saying as he just watched Tigress, observing her surprisingly open display of softness. Her yellow eyes with sunset orange irises seemed to sparkle with warmth and happiness, a trait shared by her smile. Coupled with the mystique that her stripes gave to her image, to Po she truly looked beautiful as she opened up her otherwise cold guard within.

It was during his time being enamoured by Tigress that Po felt something off about the situation. Contemplating what had been happening, he initially thought that it was Tigress that was emitting this strange feeling.

' _It could be … but, it isn't unreasonable for Tigress to smile and laugh around her friends, is it?'_ Po questioned to himself, delving deeper into his reasoning. ' _Maybe it's something else.'_

Sitting there in deep thought, Po realised that he couldn't remember how they arrived here in the village, or when for that matter.

"Po?" Mr Ping whispered to his son, leaning in and snapping Po out of his concentrated state. "Are you in there?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, dad," Po whispered back, leaning in also. "Just had some things on my mind."

"That doesn't sound quite like you, but I guess you have had a long journey," Mr Ping reasoned. "Anyway, in your room there are gifts for everyone. Would you be so kind as to go get them?"

"Sure thing, dad," Po whispered excitedly, delighted at the prospect of getting a surprise present. He got up sharply and headed off towards the kitchen.

"Po? Where are you going?" Tigress questioned with a hint of laughter in her voice, the other members of the Furious Five now noticing him leaving and walking off.

"Oh … I, uh …" Po stammered, not wanting to spoil the surprise for them.

"Don't worry, Masters," Mr Ping said dismissively. "I just asked Po if he could get something for me."

The masters all voiced their understanding and went back to the story, letting Po walk off inside. Tigress gaze lingered on Po longer than the others, before turning back to the conversation.

"Where were we up to again?" Monkey asked, scratching his balding head.

"We'd just made our way to the jail," Crane reminded, tipping his straw hat up slightly.

"Ah, yes," Monkey sighed, a grin on his face. "Tigress? You want to take this one? You were with Po for this."

"Okay," Tigress said, leaning forwards as the smile on her face grew when she looked back on the event. "So, Po's ran out into the middle, looking for the Masters …"

Po, meanwhile, had walked inside and was traversing the stairs, the wooden planks creaking under his weight at every step. He reached his room and pulled open the bamboo door, stepping forwards without really noticing anything. When he looked forwards and noticed he was about to step out into a thin, night time sky, he gave out a cry of surprise and brought his foot back onto sure ground, waving about trying to regain his balance. Above, he could see the full moon in the sky shining through the cloudy darkness with a few stars twinkling around it. Below, eerie red lights dotted the land scape below, a cluster filling what looked like a river that lead out to a dark body of water reflection the crimson red light that shone from the land.

' _Where did my room go?'_ Po thought in shock, trying to regain his senses. ' _And where is this place?'_

Just as he was about to regain his balance and step back into the safety of the restaurant, the bamboo door to his room swung back of its own accord and slammed into the panda, pushing him over into the empty sky in front of him. The Dragon Warrior screamed as he fell, plummeting into the wavy darkness below. His body twisted and spun the further he fell, hurtling faster and faster towards who knows what. He braced himself for impact, before a large explosion shook the very air around him. Turning to the cluster of light, he could see a large red flame expand from said explosion, a resultant wave of heat rushing towards him. He could see bits of wood and debris shooting out towards him before he plunged into the icy water, the sudden cold contrasting against the recent heat and leaving him releasing nearly all the air in his lungs from shock.

Swimming up, Po took in large gulps of air as he broke through the surface, coughing up what he could from the sudden lack of air. Spotting a piece of wooden debris, he quickly swam over to it and held on, the plank keeping him afloat with his treading of water so he could catch his breath. Po looked up to see a sight he thought he wouldn't see again; Shen's flagship sailing out from the river of Gongmen City, the bridge and boats blocking the way having been obliterated by Lord Shen's cannon, leading the remainder of his wolf worked fleet into the harbour.

"No, no, no! This can't be real! I already defeated Shen!" Po said, panicking as he was put in this predicament once again.

' _This … This can't be real, can it?_ ' he questioned himself as he stared at the approaching fleet, hell bent on the task of conquering all of China. ' _Wait … the others! Where are the others?!_ '

Frantically looking around, he saw Shifu barely conscious, the warships sailing past him on his piece of destroyed ship hull as they left the river. He noticed Crane, Master Storming Ox and the Ferocious Master Croc laid out on a large piece of ship decking, unconscious as they floated on the deep, dark sea. He could also see Masters Monkey, Viper and Mantis on some planks of wood and floating crates, slowly drifting towards a moored boat.

' _Where's Tigress?'_ Po quickly questioned, deeply worried as he remembered she took the cannon blast that was meant for him.

Turning his head left and right, Po managed to spot his friend barely floating on a piece of wood about as large as his. He quickly swam over to her, trying to see if she was still okay. When he reached her, everything was different from what he remembered – what he knew – happened. Tigress was only slightly hanging onto the portion of ship remains, her claws the only thing keeping her from falling down into the watery depths. There was more scarring on her body and more blackened soot from the explosion clinging to her fur. Blood trickled down her from a large wound in her head, the blood staining her fur and her red qípáo, splitting off into many small paths.

"Tigress? Tigress?!" Po cried, vigorously shaking her arm and shoulders as he tried to get her attention, to make sure she was still alive. This was not the same situation that he saw happen. She was still strong enough to look at him, to grab his paw. Now, she didn't even look like she was part of the living anymore.

Looking at her head and the small water clinging to the top of the wood, he could tell she was still breathing, albeit very faintly. Taking small comfort at this knowledge, he continued trying to wake her up. A small wave drifted over to them, washing over the board and troubling Po little as he stayed on. However, as weak as she was, the wave managed to unhook Tigress' claws that dug into the board and wash her off, submerging into the sea and being engulfed by the water.

"No, Tigress!" Po shouted, taking in a deep breath of air and diving after her. He managed to swim down and reach Tigress' limp form, grabbing on and dragging her back to the surface with him.

' _This can't be happening,'_ Po panicked, looking around for a wreckage large enough to prop his friend on. Spotting one, he swam with her draped over his back to the large upturned ship hull that he believed he stood on when he defeated the white peacock before, if that was even real.

Reaching the wreckage, Po flung Tigress on top, face up, and climbed up on, holding onto her limp paw so she couldn't slide off. Getting up to the most stable part of the hull, he finally let her go and crawled over her, looking at the state she was in. Her breathing was growing fainter and fainter, while her wound still dripped the blood flowing in her veins out, some trickling down the back of her head and torso and some dropping onto the wooden hull, flowing gentle along the curve towards the sea.

"No! No! You can pull through, Tigress!" Po shouted, putting his ear on Tigress' chest. He could only just hear and feel a heartbeat, but to his dismay the pulses grew softer and longer between beats. "You're strong, Tigress. You can't die! Not now!"

Tears began to fill his eyes as he held her close to him, cradling her tightly in his arms. He bowed his head, putting it in her qípáo to try and stop himself from crying.

"You can't die! Not after all we've been through! This isn't meant to happen!"

"P-Po …" Tigress' voice whispered, weak, broken and feeble. Po brought his head up to look at her, the tiger master's alluring eyes looking vague and faraway.

"Tigress!" he cried, putting a paw behind her head. "You're going to be okay!"

Struggling in her critical condition, Tigress brought a paw up to Po's face and held it against his cheek.

"Po … I-I …"

"Don't. Save your strength," Po blubbered, tears starting to fall from his eyes as he put a paw over her one covering his cheek. "You have to survive."

To the Dragon Warrior's horror, he felt her paw drop and lose its strength, succumbing to her grievous wounds. Her eyes struggled to remain open as her short breaths turned to tiny gasps, uneven and broken.

"No! Tigress! Please, don't die! You have to live! You have to …"

A popping bang cracks through the air as the dragon cannon on Lord Shen's ship fired, the sparkling red trailed cannon ball hurtling towards the two masters of kung fu, one grieving over the other. Po looked up to see the hellish ball of metal and fire streak towards them, with no chance of stopping it this time. Po looked down at Tigress, still cradling her dying presence as close to him as possible with little hope of survival. Making his mind up, he just held her tightly, unmoving as the instrument of their destruction speed towards them with the sole purpose of sending both masters to the afterlife.

"Po … leave … me …" Tigress croaked, closing her eyes as she leant her head into him.

"No. I'm not letting you go," Po declared, tears streaming down his fur as he took one last look at her. "Either we both make it … or I die with you."

The cannon ball gained ground, burning through the air with fiery sparks trailing off like a firework, getting closer and closer to the masters until … finally …

* * *

Po sits upright with a start, a scared cry escaping his lips. Looking around, he was surrounded by curved wooden walls, the Furious Five in the room with him still fast asleep. The glow of the dull bronze lantern provided an easy, soft luminance to the cabin, the gentle rocking of nets containing bread rolls and corn cobs telling Po that he was back on the boat, travelling to his home in the Valley of Peace.

His heart racing, Po looked over at Tigress to find her lying on her side with her back to him, her shoulders and tail moving very slightly but by all accords looking as if she was sleeping peacefully. He let out a big sigh of relief seeing her safe and okay, confirming to him that the trauma he just experienced was only a dream, not really the events that had occurred. His heart still pounding in his chest from the fear running through him, he felt at his cheeks to find the fur there damp and cool, noting that he had indeed been crying through the dream. Trying to be quiet, Po got to his feet and hobbled out of the cabin, pushing through the rough white fabric that served as the door to the deck.

Night had fallen outside as the boat sailed gently along the sea, the waters calm save for the ripples coming from the ship as it cut through the stillness. The night sky was clear, the wanning gibbous moon shining brightly down upon the land, illuminating China and the seas in its lustrous light. This elegant light was reflected by the clear waters, along with the small twinkling of thousands upon thousands of stars dotting the night sky, splitting the eternal darkness with orbs of wonder and life. The beauty of such a sight soothed Po a little, calming him down a bit from the horrors his imagination created as he slept, yet he could not get the dread out of his mind, linked to the image of Tigress weak and dying in his arms.

"It was just a dream," Po muttered, his vision blurry from tears that still lingered in his eyes.

He limped over to the starboard edge and, getting to his knees, splashed water over his face, hoping to take his mind away from the nightmare. But for all it did in waking him up, it brought back more vividly Tigress lying broken on the debris as he swam out to her. This image he could not discern to being real or just taken from his bad dream.

"Just a dream," he reminded himself, getting back up and walking over to the mast. He put his arms out, grabbing hold of the thick pole, and began bashing his head over and over again into it.

"Just a dream! Just a dream! Just a dream! Just a dream! Just a dream!" Po repeated, clenching his eyes tight as he head-butted the mast with each repetition, hoping to beat the nightmare out of his head along with the anxiety and sorrow that came with it.

The mast creaked and groaned after a while of his attacks, the sail pushed out slightly as the calm, midnight breeze gentle blew past, caught in the fabric that propelled them towards their destination. Po stopped hitting his head as it began to hurt, breathing heavily with tears still welling up in his eyes. He opened them and wiped the tears away, hoping to banish them from coming forth before anyone could see. But, despite his efforts, the night terror remained, the sight of Tigress within an inch of death plaguing his conscious.

' _So why did it feel so real?'_

So caught up in his mentality, Po did not hear a certain someone approach from above the cabin, watching him with some interest.

"The mast still is not a worthy opponent," Po heard Tigress say, looking up to see her with a smirk along the corners of her mouth before she performed a corkscrew flip, landing next to him.

"I knew you had a sense of humour," Po glumly joked with a soft smile, his voice carrying a gloomy tone to it as he walked back to the starboard side.

Leaning against the cabin, Po lowered himself down to a sitting position, his feet hanging over the edge as they rested in the water, ripples trailing from them as they passed through the water. Tigress walked over and sat herself beside him, letting her feet rest in the passing sea as well. Concern washed over her as she heard Po let out a depressed sigh, glumly staring into the reflective surface that showcased the celestial sky above.

"Po, why are you out here?" Tigress questioned, looking with worry at her friend.

"This feels very familiar," Po responded, recalling the trip to Gongmen City.

"Which means you're going to tell me what's wrong," Tigress reasoned, speaking evenly and calmly with the Dragon Warrior as she sensed the turmoil within him.

"It's nothing, Tigress," Po answered, his hands resting on the wooden deck as he looked up into the night sky, gazing as the stars twinkled down at him.

The mix of moon and starlight revealed to Tigress the dampness of Po's cheeks, tiny droplets of tears sparkling in the celestial light. The otherworldly shine reflected off his jade eyes, displaying the redness lingering in the corner of his eyes, proving to the leader of the Furious Five the true extent of his sadness.

"You've been crying," Tigress pointed out, causing Po to turn away so she couldn't see his face.

"It was just a stupid dream," he mumbled in an attempt to insist that he was fine.

"What happened?" she asked, putting a paw on his shoulder. Feeling a small sense of comfort from her gentle touch and knowing in his heart that she was just trying to help, Po gave in with a sigh, turning back to her.

"We were back at Gongmen City," Po sniffled, rubbing his nose with the back of his paw. "Shen had just broken through the bridge and sailed out into the harbour."

"Okay, but you've already beaten him," Tigress reminded him, her eyes watching him cautiously. "It shouldn't be any different this time, right?"

When Po shook his head, Tigress was caught aback by a moment.

' _What happened in his dream that stopped him from pulling off that incredible feat?'_ she wondered, her paw rubbing his arm in a comforting manner for both their sakes.

"I saw you …" he continued, choking up a little. "I … I saw you on the debris after you pushed me out of the way."

Tigress' heart jumped when he said that, a pang of sadness and pain coursing through her. She remembered that she shoved Po out of the firing line at the last second with no thought for herself as she took the extent of the cannon blast on herself. She recalled feeling so weak and internally agonised, the wind having been knocked out of her and her insides rattled greatly. She recalled seeing Po swimming up to her as she lay weakened on the plank, half her body stuck in the icy water, gripping his paw as he called her name though she could not feel him. She could remember her grip loosening on him as her body gave out, reaching out a desperate paw for him as he swam away, pushing her out of the line of fire as she had just done for him.

"You … you weren't like you were when it happened," Po mumbled as he tripped over his words, bringing Tigress out of her recollection and back to him. "You were barely breathing, there was a lot of blood running into your clothes … covering your fur."

Tigress' grip on Po's arm tightened instinctively at his descriptions of her in his nightmare, wounded and beaten, weaker than she had ever been in her life. She couldn't even remember the last time blood had flowed outside from any wound to her body.

"You wouldn't respond to me …" Po continued, visibly getting sadder as the growing fear in his heart built up. "You were dying … You were dying in my arms and I couldn't do anything but watch as you faded away …"

Po had to close his eyes tightly to stop more tears coming out, which gave Tigress a moment to deal with what he had revealed to her. She knew exactly what he was feeling; she too could do nothing but watch as Shen first fired the cannon at him back in the warehouse, after she specifically told him to stay at the jail. To be right there when her friend was nearly obliterated, so close and yet unable to do anything agonised her. It tore at her soul, everyone believing Po to be dead, until he returned to save them.

"I didn't want you to see you die," Po cried, trying to stifle the sorrow in his voice. "I was so worried that you'd died sacrificing yourself to push me out of the way-"

Po was cut off by Tigress as she quickly embraced him, her arms wrapping around as much of the panda as she could and resting her head on his shoulder. The Dragon Warrior, surprised, returned the hug, gripping her tightly not wanting to let go. Not after what he just saw.

"I couldn't lose you … Not after all that had happened," he whispered, his soft sorrow seemingly destroying most of the steely guard that Tigress had built up.

Po buried his head into her shoulder and silently let his tears flow, unable to hold them in any longer around her. Tigress noticed his body shaking as he sobbed and gripped him tighter, rubbing a paw up and down his back in an attempt to sooth and calm the panda.

"I told you …" Tigress said, her voice wavering slightly, "I can't watch my friend be killed."

Time seemed to stand still as they sat there, holding each other in their arms, afraid that the other person would suddenly disappear into thin air. Silence filled the air, leaving nothing but their breathing and occasional sniffles from Po between them. When what felt like an eternity had passed, Po's body shifted slightly, causing Tigress' head to rise up in panic.

"Po?" she asked, checking to see if he was alright.

Letting go of the panda and leaning back, the grip from the Dragon Warrior around her having loosened greatly, she looked at him to see Po leaning up against the cabin wall with his damp feet out of the water. Though his cheeks still glistened with tears released earlier, Tigress could tell by the even state of his breath and his loosened hold on her that he had fallen asleep, drifting away much more calmly in their embrace than he was when they were talking. With a soft smile gracing her lips, Tigress repositioned herself against Po, pulling her legs out of the water and curling her tail along them. She put her head against his chest and a paw nearby, just above his lowest rib, as she lay down with him, using his body a little like a large, fluffy pillow.

With a relieved sigh, she allowed her breath to even out peacefully so her heart could stop racing inside her chest. A mixture of emotions clouded her heavy head and heart, conflict building up over her desires and for the other reason that she had come outside. For with Po confessing to her his feelings from his nightmare and his fear of losing her while he is helpless to save her, he never got to take a good look at the master lying up against him now. He never saw the slight redness in her eyes, nor the glistening of tears in her eyes or the nearly invisible streaks of tears down her cheeks, indicators that she too was weeping in her sleep. For her imagination could not shake the fear of what could've been if he had been killed by Shen back at the factory, traumatizing her spirit in its entirety.

"I'm not going anywhere, Po," she whispered as if he could still hear her, her head positioned into his warm furry chest as she spoke. "And I hope you aren't either. I nearly saw you die not too long ago … I don't want to go through that again."

With her melancholy heart lightening slightly as she lay against her friend in the peaceful night, Tigress soon fell asleep against Po like he did in her arms, the two kung fu warriors allowing their consciences to ease into a tranquil state, their dreams turning to pleasant moments as they provided the comfort for one another that on their own they could not achieve. As such, they spent their night, Po's arm subconsciously moving over Tigress, holding her against him and allowing her to relax further in her sleep, the two masters and close friends sleeping against one another and easing the others minds into dreams of peace and serenity.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, be honest everyone. How many of you were scared that I would kill off Tigress before it was revealed that it was a dream? I warned you that you'd hate me for it, and I'm sure some of you do still for pulling that stunt out. Hopefully you understand why I did it though, so I hope you will all forgive me. That should also show you just how far I'm willing to go to surprise you all and keep you anticipating what will happen, to keep a story moving along.**

 **Again, like last time, I'll try to upload when I can. Feel free to let me know your thoughts, constructive criticism is welcome. If there's anything you want to know, feel free to ask. I'll try to let you know without spoiling what I'm going to do if it's about the story.**

 **Until next time, adios!**


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